he didn’t even try.

Seven years ago on August 6, 2001, President George W. Bush received a presidential daily briefing entitled, “Bin Ladin Determined to Strike in U.S.” The memorandum noted that al-Qaida intended “to follow the example of World Trade Center bomber Ramzi Youssef and ‘bring the lightning to America.’” The memo also noted “some of the more sensational threat reporting, such as that … bin Laden wanted to hijack a U.S. aircraft …” George W. Bush read that memo and … did nothing. He went on vacation. Either he didn’t take it seriously, or he didn’t understand what he was being told, or he just didn’t care, but for whatever reason, he didn’t respond. At all. It is impossible to know whether any response might have effectively prevented or disrupted the attacks that occurred the following month. Maybe it could have, or maybe a responsible, urgent response to this warning wouldn’t have mattered. We’ll never know. All we can know is that what President Bush did — nothing — didn’t work. He didn’t even try. That should be George W. Bush’s epitaph. It should be carved on his tombstone and engraved above his official portrait: He didn’t even try.